When an emergency arises, it’s all-hands-on-deck in a healthcare setting. NDSU participants in the Advanced Nursing Education Nurse Practitioner Residency participated in a one-day Emergency Preparedness Workshop in Aldevron Tower in June. The NDSU School of Nursing, along with SIM-ND at the UND School of Medicine and Health Sciences, partnered for the event.
Participants included current Nurse Practitioner residents, along with three residents from the previous year, as well as providers with Essentia Health.
In addition, students in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program at NDSU this summer also participated in emergency preparedness training to expand their education.
The sessions give nurse practitioner residents and advanced practice students a simulated experience with events that they may encounter during their careers.
“Most nurse practitioners who practice in rural settings often must cover the critical access hospital/ER as part of their responsibilities,” said Adam Hohman, assistant professor of practice in the NDSU School of Nursing.
“In the rural setting, emergencies present as high stress situations and can have significant consequences for the patient, family, provider, and hospital staff involved,” said Hohman. “A nurse practitioner’s responsibilities go beyond primary care, as many are the sole provider covering emergency departments at these hospitals.”
One advanced nursing practice resident in their evaluation of the emergency preparedness training noted its importance.
“This was very eye opening and helped identify possible threats within the community. I feel that all new clinicians should have this training,” said the participant in the training.
For nurse practitioners in emergency care, their extensive knowledge often must include both acute and chronic illness and injury, along with both basic and complex skills. To provide quality care and maintain relevant emergency care skills, initial training and continued education help providers working in community access hospitals with additional skills when working in an emergency department.
“After completing the education, I feel as though there are some areas of possible improvement within the clinic setting for large scale disaster preparedness,” wrote another advanced nursing practice resident in their evaluation of the event.
“Emergency care is my passion and one of my goals as a faculty member is to ensure our family nurse practitioner program is incorporating emergency skills so we can give our students the tools needed for rural practice,” said Hohman.
NDSU provides a federally funded Nurse Practitioner Residency program, in partnership with Essentia Health. NDSU also provides an on-campus Doctor of Nursing Practice program focusing on face-to-face instruction, with synchronous classes offered through NDSU Fargo and Bismarck sites.
The NDSU Doctor of Nursing Practice degree prepares students to provide advanced nursing care as a family nurse practitioner.
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